A BARRISTER claims his application to become a judge has been turned down because he is not a freemason.

Roger Everest says he was told 30 years ago that he would never get on in the legal profession after turning down an invitation to join the Dinas Llandaff lodge of the Freemasons in Cardiff.

Last week the 64-year-old was informed by the director of judicial appointments at the Department for Constitutional Affairs that he was not being appointed a circuit judge.

Earlier this year Mr Everest, who practises from chambers at Pontyclun near Cardiff, had a claim that his career had been blighted by his non-membership of the freemasons rejected by the European Court of Human Rights.

Yesterday he said, "The judiciary in South Wales is a closed shop which I believe excludes ethnic minorities, women and men who are not part of a masonic network.

"After over 30 years as a practising barrister on the Wales and Chester circuit with hundreds of satisfied clients - not one of whom has ever made a complaint against me - I am furious never to have been offered the opportunity to sit as a judge.

"Through The Western Mail I call on the Labour Government to appoint an eminent and impartial privy councillor to investigate the many miscarriages of justice in South Wales - especially the wrongful convictions that followed the murders of Lynette White and Mr and Mrs Tooze - and to publish a register naming judges who have ever been masons. Judges should be appointed on their merit as lawyers, independent of their standing among masons."

Mr Everest said he planned to meet his MP Dr Kim Howells to discuss the matter.

He added, "It is my firm belief that there is a masonic connection with the miscarriages of justice that have occurred in South Wales."

In February 1998, the Home Office committed itself to establishing public registers of Freemasons in the judiciary and the police.

In a response to a report written by the Home Affairs select committee, the Home Office stated, "The Home Secretary proposes to make a formal request to the United Grand Lodge (the governing body of freemasonry in England and Wales) that they provide on a regional basis consistent with the regional structure of the Lodges, the names and identifying occupations and other necessary details of those who are or who become freemasons in the specified professions and occupations.

"If the United Grand Lodge is unwilling or unable to comply with this request, or to comply only partially (for example because it does not itself have the data in the required form) the government will initially make arrangements for registers to be opened for all the specified professions and occupations. All would be invited to register. Although at this stage a failure to return information would not of itself be a breach of conditions of employment, any nil returns would be shown as such.

"The government will consult on where the registers should be available but in any event it believes that they should be publicly available.

"The government will address the need for legislation having regard to the extent of compliance with voluntary registers, once established."

John Hamill, director of communications for the United Grand Lodge said, "The Home Office did not pursue the idea of registers because of the incorporation of human rights legislation into UK law. Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights forbids discrimination against minorities.

"When a straw poll was done of judges several years ago, less than five per cent were freemasons and none of those responsible for judicial appointments were."

SIR Andy Chande
A PROMINENT Dar es Salaam businessman, Sir Andy Chande, has refuted claims that he is being investigated by British police in connection with the ‘cash for honours’ scandal.

Sir Chande told the Daily News on Saturday' yesterday that his Honorary Knighthood came as a pleasant surprise.

Sir Chande's rebuttal comes as British police on Thursday questioned Prime Minister Tony Blair as part of the ongoing criminal investigations into the honours allegations.

The investigations started in March, this year, by the Metropolitan Police, and are aimed at establishing a connection between peerage nominations by the Labour government and
contributions to party funds by the nominated persons.

Sir Chande added: “I never expected the Honorary
Knighthood but it was a welcome surprise considering that very few people have been awarded such title.”

It is still unclear whether there should be a citation for such knighthood or if other knights of British nationality carry
citations.

“I am not sure about the citation and if at all there was one. I'm sure I would have received a copy,” Sir Chande said.
Asked if he has been contacted by British police or whether he has been questioned in connection with the 'cash for honours'
scandal, Sir Chande said that no one has contacted
him about that matter.

He added: “I have not been contacted by British police on any matter. And I do not think they will because I have done nothing wrong.”

Sir Chande also explained that he does not know for sure what criterion is used to nominate and name knights and who does
it.

The 'cash for honours' scandal has uncovered that all businessmen who gave the Labour Party contributions of over 1million pounds were granted an honorary knighthood.

There are claims that Sir Chande is one of the businessmen currently being investigated by British police for being
named a knight under dubious circumstances. All concerned
in the wrongdoing have denied the claims and none has been charged yet.

The British inquiry is taking a dual approach, looking at the 2005 working peerages list and any offences in that period
relating to the 1925 Honours (Prevention of Abuse)
Act and the Political Parties, Elections and Referendum
Act 2000, which covers party funding and the presentation of accounts.

The inquiry is in its last stages and it expects to be concluded by January.

A spokesman for Mr Blair said the prime minister had denied that peerages had been offered for sale.

The prime minister was interviewed as a witness without the presence of a lawyer. His spokesman said that Mr Blair explained to the police why four businessmen had been nominated for peerages, and insisted that giving money to a
political party should not prevent someone from receiving an honour.

Sir Andy Chande is a prominent Tanzanian businessman,
philanthropist and a freemason. Born in Mombasa, Kenya, in 1929, Sir Jayantilal Chande has been active in social and
business life for over half a century.

In August 2003, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II conferred on him a Knighthood and in 2004, the President of India, Dr APJ
Abdul Kalam, honoured him with the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award.

Sir Andy became a Freemason on October 25, 1954 and rose through the organisation's ranks to become its East Africa's
chief. He was appointed District Grandmaster for East Africa in 1996, a position he holds today. In its ranks he has reached the degree of the 'Most Excellent Master.'